Apparatus and method for using a compressed air flow and a vacuum to clean surfaces

ABSTRACT

The basic invention uses a positive air pressure port to loosen foreign objects into a cavity and a negative air pressure port to vacuum these objects from the cavity. The positive air pressure port can be used as a substitute for a mechanical beater brush. Removing the beater brush allows the weight of the housing unit to be reduced. The number of positive air pressure ports can be reduced to increase the exit velocity of the air flow out of a single port focusing the energy of the compressed air to a smaller area of the surface which loosens hard to remove foreign objects from the surface. A motor can be used to sweep a single positive air pressure port in a back and fort motion to automatically clean the surface. Finally, the housing unit can be made transparent to view the surface as it is being cleaned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Vacuum cleaners have been a household product for nearly 100 years. Some of the first products applied a vacuum within a cavity to a surface where the foreign objects can be pulled out. The cavity is formed between the housing unit of the vacuum cleaner and the surface being cleaned. The next enhancement was the addition of a rotating beater brush into the cavity which helped to agitate the surface as the vacuum extracted the objects. The beater brush caused the vacuum head to weigh more and often wrapped hair and strings around the beater brush which required frequent maintenance.

In addition, a wet vacuum (wet vac) applies water with a soap solution to the surface of a carpet within the cavity. The beater brush would help agitate the carpet fibers while the vacuum would extract the water mixed in with the foreign objects. Then, the carpet required a drying period before the carpet could be used.

Fifty years ago, a futuristic vacuum was developed which was unusual. A housing unit (which formed a cavity with the surface) was connected to a flexible hose. The hose was then connected to the canister which contained the motor for the vacuum cleaner. The vacuum extracted the foreign objects into the canister whereby the exhaust air was exited out the bottom of the canister causing the canister to float off the surface.

It would be desirable to have further improvements in the vacuum cleaner. An additional method to knock loose the foreign objects would help to clean the surface more thoroughly. In addition, a way of cutting down the drying time of a moist carpet would be beneficial. Finally, in some cases, the beater brush can be eliminated to decrease the weight of the unit and prevent the previous mentioned maintenance. This invention can achieve these and other results to provide further improvements in the vacuum cleaner as described in the remainder of the specification.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The basic invention uses at least one positive air pressure port to loosen foreign objects into a cavity while at least one negative air pressure port vacuums these objects from the cavity. The positive air pressure port or compressed air nozzle can be used as a substitute for the beater brush. By removing the beater brush, the weight of the housing unit can be reduced, hair is not trapped around the beater brush unit and the beater brush's bristles do not wear out the carpet. This makes it easier to move the housing unit, reduce the maintenance issue and increase the life of the carpet.

A wet vac can take advantage of the positive air pressure port to help dry the carpet quicker. After the solution is applied to the carpet, the high velocity air blasts the liquid and foreign objects from the carpet. This helps to dry the carpet and allows the carpet to be used sooner.

The number of positive air pressure ports can be reduced (either manually or by computer control) to increase the exit velocity of the air flow out of a reduced number of ports or nozzles. This provides an additional cleaner power in that all of the energy of the compressed air is applied to a smaller area of the surface which loosens hard to remove foreign objects from the surface.

A motor can be used to sweep a single positive air pressure port in a back and forth motion to automatically clean the surface. The single positive air pressure port can also be controlled by a joystick on the handle of the vacuum cleaner to target specific certain regions of the surface.

Finally, the housing unit can be made transparent to view the surface as it is being cleaned. This condition provides the consumer the ability to view the cleaning power of the vacuum which provides an immediate feedback to the user as to where further attention may be required.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a cross sectional view of the cavity of a prior art vacuum housing unit.

FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional view of the cavity of a prior art vacuum housing unit with a beater brush.

FIG. 3 depicts a cross sectional view of the cavity of a vacuum housing unit showing a positive air pressure port made in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross sectional view of the cavity of a vacuum housing unit showing a wand containing multiple positive air pressure ports made in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 5 depicts a cross sectional view of the cavity of a vacuum housing unit showing a wand containing multiple positive air pressure ports and a beater brush made in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a cross sectional view of the cavity of a vacuum housing unit showing a positive air pressure port and a wet solution port made in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 a illustrates the prior art upright vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 7 b depicts an upright vacuum cleaner made in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 8 a shows the prior art vacuum housing unit connected to a vacuum tube which serves as a handle.

FIG. 8 b illustrates a vacuum housing unit connected to a vacuum and compressed air tubes which together serve as a handle made in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows a vacuum housing unit connected to a vacuum and compressed air tubes that lead to a window mounted unit made in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 10 a depicts a vacuum wand with multiple positive air pressure ports where the wand can be rotated or the ports selectively opened and closed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 10 b illustrates a vacuum nozzle with a single positive air pressure port where the nozzle can be moved in a back and forth motion in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 11 shows a flow chart indicating the cleanup steps for a surface made in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates another flow chart indicating the cleanup steps for a surface made in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A cross sectional view 1-1 of a cavity 1-4 formed between a vacuum housing unit 1-2 and the surface 1-3 being cleaned is provided in FIG. 1. A tube 1-6 provides a negative air pressure port 1-5 connected to the housing unit 1-2. Since the cavity 1-4 has negative pressure applied within it, an air flow leakage 1-7 a through 1-7 c illustrates the flow of air between the housing unit 1-2 and the surface 1-3 to equalize the pressure within the cavity 14 via the small gap 1-8. Note that if the gap 1-8 is reduced to zero, the housing unit may become vacuum attached to the surface 1-3 and prevent the housing unit 1-2 from being moved. Thus, a gap 1-8 is required to insure easy movement of the housing unit 1-2.

All of the components identified with the same numeric throughout these drawings corresponds effectively to the same component. For example, in FIG. 2, the new components include the cross sectional view 2-1 and the beater brush 2-2. All the remaining numerics represent the components indicated in FIG. 1. Note that the beater brush 2-2 can be used to agitate the surface by rotating to loosen or set free foreign objects (not shown) into the cavity 1-4. The negative air pressure port 1-5 removes these objects via the tube 1-6.

FIG. 3 illustrates a first version of the invention. The cross section view 3-1 depicts several new components. These include the positive air flow 3-2 generated by a compressor motor (not shown) and applied to the air tube 3-3. The tube has a port or nozzle 3-4 and ejects the compressed air at high velocities. The high velocity air 3-5 is applied to the surface to eject foreign objects into the cavity 14. The negative air flow within tube 1-6 removes the objects from the cavity. The height of the gap 1-8 can be reduced since the positive pressure is introduced by the air tube 3-3. This gap 1-8 can be reduced to zero if the positive air flow 3-2 matches the negative air flow within the tube 1-6. Thus, this invention prevents the housing unit 1-2 from becoming vacuum attached to the surface 1-3.

Thus, this vacuum system is more efficient than the previous prior art cases for several reasons. First, the compressed air 3-5 focuses the energy into a given location. Second, as the gap 1-8 is reduced, the air flow leakage 1-7 shown earlier is reduced. This insures that the jet 3-4 further focuses the energy. The drag on the housing unit 1-2 is reduced since the force between the housing unit 1-2 and the surface 1-3 can be reduced. This makes it easier to move the housing unit 1-2. Lastly, if the housing unit 1-2 is transparent, the user can see the cleaning action within the cavity 1-4 which provides a positive feedback to the user allowing the user to know when the surface 1-3 is clean.

FIG. 4 illustrates a second version of the invention. The cross section view 4-1 shows a wand containing several port opening 4-3. The positive air flow 3-2 is applied to the air tube 3-3. The tube is connected to a wand and ejects the high velocity air 4-2 from several nozzles 4-3. The high velocity air 4-2 is applied to the surface to eject foreign objects into the cavity 1-4. The negative air flow within tube 1-6 removes the objects from the cavity. The wand can also be rotated to position the high velocity air 4-2 at different angles to the surface 1-3.

The cross section view 5-1 in FIG. 5 illustrates the addition of a beater brush 5-2 introducing another version of the invention. Now there are two methods of agitating the surface 1-3. The first is the high velocity air 4-2 emitted from the nozzles 4-3 to loosen foreign objects. The second is the mechanical rotation of the beater brush 5-2 to loosen the objects.

The cross section view 6-1 in FIG. 6 depicts the addition of a second tube 6-3 introducing another version of the invention. This tube can be a soapy solution dispenser 6-4. The soap and water mixture 6-2 flows as shown. The high velocity air 3-5 stream can then eject the solution from the surface 1-3 into the cavity 1-4 to be vacuumed by the tube 1-6. Although not shown, a beater brush can be added to the assembly and use the soapy solution to help wash the surface 1-3 further.

A conventional upright vacuum cleaner is shown as 7-1 in FIG. 7 a. The housing unit 1-2 is connected to the main body assembly 7-4. Within the assembly 7-4 is a block 7-6 which contains the vacuum motor and components (filter, fan, etc.). The assembly is connected to a handle 7-5 to easily manipulate the vacuum unit 7-1. The housing unit also has wheels 7-3. The air leakage is provided by 7-7 while the exhaust of the vacuum cleaner is illustrated as 7-2.

An upright vacuum cleaner 7-8 version of the invention is shown in FIG. 7 b. However, there is the input air flow 7-9 being provided to the compressor 7-10. The compressor then generates a positive air flow into the cavity of the housing unit 1-2. The wheels 7-3 can be adjusted so that the gap between the housing unit and reduced when compared to the vacuum unit 7-1.

A conventional vacuum head unit is shown as 8-1 in FIG. 8 a. The housing unit 1-2 is connected to the tube 1-6 which also serves as a handle. The tube 1-6 has a negative air flow 8-2 vacuuming the foreign objects from the cavity. The air flow leakage 8-3 supplies the air to loosen the objects.

A vacuum head unit 8-4 version of the invention is shown in FIG. 8 b. Another air tube 3-3 carries the positive air flow 3-2. Thus, the air flow leakage 8-3 in FIG. 8 a can be reduced while the housing unit 1-2 can be placed closer to the surface. The combination of the two tubes 1-6 and 3-3 can function as a handle.

A window unit of the invention 9-1 is illustrated in FIG. 9. This unit takes (sources) and ejects (sinks) all of the air used in the vacuum head unit to/from the outdoors. It consists of a vacuum head unit connected to a window 9-2. The tubes 1-6 and 3-3 are flexible and are connected to the motor unit 9-3 that can be inserted and fit snugly into an open component of the window 9-2. The motor unit 9-3 contains the vacuum motor to create the negative air flow 8-2, a compressor to generate the positive air flow 3-2, and filters, fans, etc. Thus, all foreign objects from the surface are vacuumed, sent up the tube 1-6 to the motor unit 9-3 where the foreign objects smaller than the filter openings are ejected via an ejection tube to the outside. The source of the compressed air is provided by using a source tube from the outside. The motor unit 9-3 compresses this air and sends it down the tube 3-3 to the vacuum head unit. If the openings of the two outside tubes are close together, then there is a possibility that the dirty air will be re-circulated back into the vacuum unit. To minimize this situation, the source for the positive air flow can be a short tube while the sink for the negative air flow can be applied to a longer tube to minimize the interaction between the openings of the source and sink tubes. This system is healthier since dirty air is minimized from coming back into the house. Second, the noise is reduced.

FIG. 10 a shows a closeup of the positive air flow wand 10-3 within the unit 10-1. The wand 10-3 can be moved back and forth within a given angle as indicated by the arrow 10-2. In addition, the ports 4-3 a to 4-3 c in the wand 10-3 generate the high velocity air sources 4-2 a to 4-2 c. The openings 4-3 a to 4-3 c can be opened and closed in sequence or in random order. Thus, when all but one are closed the increased high velocity can be used to provide a through cleaning in a given region.

FIG. 10 b shows a closeup of a single source for compressed air 3-5 with the unit 10-4. In this case, the tube 3-3 is moved back and forth as indicated by the arrows 10-5 and 10-6. The movement can be controlled manually joystick), automatically or by computer control. Thus, one source with a very high velocity air 3-5 can be applied to all regions of the surface being cleaned.

FIG. 11 shows a flow chart 11-1 illustrating the cleaning operation. Block 11-2 is the starting location, while block 11-3 indicates that a cavity is formed between the surface and the housing unit. Block 11-4 indicates the application of a positive pressure to the surface, and block 11-5 shows the step to loosen foreign objects from the surface. Block 11-6 applies a negative pressure to the cavity to remove the objects, while block 11-7 indicates that cleaning is completed.

FIG. 12 shows a flow chart 12-1 illustrating another cleaning operation. Block 12-2 is the starting location, while block 12-3 indicates that a transparent housing allows the user to view the cleaning action. Block 12-4 questions if surface is clean; if yes then go to block 12-8 to see if there are any uncleaned surfaces, otherwise, go to block 12-5 to enable the automatic pressure wand. Block 12-6 questions if surface is clean; if yes then go to block 12-8 to see if there are any uncleaned surfaces, otherwise, go to block 12-7 to enable the joystick pressure wand to apply air pressure in a specific area. At block 12-8 a determination is made if there are any unclean surfaces left; if yes then go to block 12-9 and move to new surface and then go to block 12-3. Otherwise, move to block 12-10 and the cleaning is complete.

Finally, it is understood that the above descriptions are only illustrative of the principles of the current invention. In accordance with these principles, those skilled in the art may devise numerous modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, there can be a plurality of positive air pressure wands, a plurality of negative pressure ports, and a manual, automatic or computer controlled coordination between the position of the positive air pressure ports and the negative air pressure ports to achieve an improved surface cleaning capability. The surface 1-3 can be a soft surface, hard surface, fabric, carpet, hardwood, or any usable surface. The housing unit 1-2 can contain any combination of positive and negative pressure ports, any number of beater brushes 5-2, and a soapy solution dispenser 6-4. The air tube 3-3 carrying the positive air flow can be inserted within the air tube 1-6 providing the negative air pressure. In addition, these units are powered either by an AC or DC source as is well know in the art. 

1. A surface cleaning system comprising; a housing unit coupled to the surface being cleaned; a cavity formed between the housing unit and the surface; a first port of positive air pressure coupled to the housing unit; a second port of negative air pressure coupled to the housing unit; and a flow of positive air pressure from the first port that loosens a plurality of foreign objects from the surface into the cavity; whereby a flow of negative air pressure from the second port removes the plurality of foreign objects from the cavity.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the housing unit is transparent.
 3. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one wheel coupled to the housing unit.
 4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a handle coupled to the housing unit.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the surface cleaning unit can be moved to clean at least one additional section of the surface.
 6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a means for agitating the cleaning surface with a beater brush.
 7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a means for agitating the cleaning surface with a liquid stream.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first port comprises at least one nozzle; and the second port comprises at least one port opening.
 9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a compressor generating the positive air pressure applied to the first port; and a vacuum creating the negative air pressure extracted from the second port.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein one or more nozzles of the first port are switched between an open or closed state in a sequential order.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the first port is in close proximity to the surface and the second port is in close proximity to the housing unit.
 12. The system of claim 8, wherein the flow of positive air pressure from the first port matches the flow of negative air pressure from the second port.
 13. The system of claim 8, wherein the flow of air pressure from the first or second port can be independently adjusted.
 14. The system of claim 8, wherein the flow of positive air pressure from the first port can be adjusted in a preferred direction via a control selected from the group consisting of manual, automatic and computer driven.
 15. A method of cleaning a surface comprising the steps of; forming a cavity between the surface and a housing unit; applying a flow of positive air pressure to the surface; loosening a plurality of foreign objects from the surface into the cavity; and using a flow of negative air pressure to remove the foreign objects from the cavity; thereby cleaning the surface.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of moving the housing unit to clean at least one additional section of the surface.
 17. The method of claim 15, further comprising a means for agitating the cleaning surface with a beater brush.
 18. The method of claim 15, further comprising a means for agitating the cleaning surface with a liquid stream.
 19. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of coupling at least one wheel to the housing unit.
 20. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of coupling a handle to the housing unit.
 21. The method of claim 15, wherein the first port comprises at least one nozzle; and the second port comprises at least one port opening.
 22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of generating the positive air pressure applied to the first port by using a compressor; and creating the negative air pressure extracted from the second port by using a vacuum.
 23. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of switching one or more nozzles of the first port between an open or closed state in a sequential order.
 24. The method of claim 21, wherein the first port is in close proximity to the surface; and the second port is in close proximity to the housing unit.
 25. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of matching the flow of positive air pressure from the first port to the flow of negative air pressure extracted from the second port.
 26. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of adjusting the flow of air pressure from the first port; and adjusting the flow of air pressure to the second port independently of each other.
 27. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of adjusting the flow of positive air pressure from the first port in a preferred direction via a control selected from the group consisting of manual, automatic and computer driven.
 28. An apparatus for cleaning a surface comprising; means for forming a cavity; means for applying a flow of positive air pressure to the surface; means for loosening a plurality of foreign objects from the surface into the cavity; and means for applying a flow of negative air pressure to remove the foreign objects from the cavity. 